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Kendrick Lamar says guard’s reaction is ‘how you want everyone to receive your music’

A man sits on steps wearing a crown of thorns
Kendrick Lamar is on tour for his newest album, “Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers.”
(Renell Medrano)
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In case Kendrick Lamar needed another reminder of how powerful his music can be, he received it in the form of a security guard standing by the stage at his concert.

While performing at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, Lamar played his jubilant song “Love” from his Pulitzer Prize-winning album, “DAMN.” A fan near the front of the stage caught the reaction of a security guard and posted it on TikTok where the man could be seen rapping along while tearing up.

In the comments section under the viral TikTok, the man identified himself as Devyn Sanford.

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“That’s me in the post y’all,” Sanford wrote. “This song means EVERYTHING to me and I was feeling everybody around me emotions ... definitely love getting paid to do this.”

Days later, Lamar headlined the Rolling Loud Festival in Miami, where he caught up with the star preteen reporter behind Jazzy’s World TV. In the interview, Jazzy noted how emotional people were getting at Lamar’s shows and asked him about how he’s impacted people through his music.

“To see that — and shout-out to him too, by the way, because I’ve seen bro and I wonder what he’s going through,” Lamar said. “At the end of the day, that’s how you want everybody to receive your music. Make them feel good, make them feel like a moment they’re attached to, it can live forever.”

Lamar’s first album in five years, ‘Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers,’ is framed as an extended therapy session, in which he tackles abuse and infidelity.

May 17, 2022

Later in the interview, Jazzy also asked Lamar about his legacy.

“It’s really just the impact to inspire people, and always show them the duality of life is not such a bad thing,” he said. “We go through so many volatile situations, where we don’t really know how to connect or communicate how we feel. So through my music, I want to make sure that’s the legacy. Showing people how to communicate, and it’s OK if you’re not perfect. It’s about accepting the beauty of imperfection.”

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